Priyadarshini

Ex-journalist, storyteller, Grammar Nazi, dreamer, happiness hunter.

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

Yesterday, our first book Robin Hood of Kathiawar and Other Extraordinary Stories from India's Freedom Movement, published by @HarperCollinsIN, was officially unveiled at the Kolkata Literary Meet.
A massive thank you to author and historian @narayani_basu for the brilliant discussion and to @kan_writersside for the masterful moderation.
It was an honor to debut our book surrounded by such a vibrant literary community. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special occasion.

[HarperCollins @HarperCollinsIN]

From rebels and revolutionaries to the wild, unheard-of stories that shaped India’s freedom struggle—Robin Hood of Kathiawar and Other Extraordinary Stories from India’s Freedom Movement uncovers the past like you’ve never read it before.

Curious questions, unknown heroes, and deeply human moments come together in this irresistible collection.

Pre-order now: https://t.co/6xRQP8zyNY

#READWithHarperCollins #FreedomMovement

[Joy Bhattacharjya @joybhattacharj]

One of the strangest back stories behind a fabled film project. Perfect for Satyajit Ray's birthday.
In 1952, a young man named Mike Wilson met Arthur C Clarke at a pub frequented by science fiction writers and fans and they soon became fast friends. It was Wilson who first got Clarke into skin diving and he and Clarke had lots of dives in the UK, before deciding that the tropics were really the place for this hobby.
They ended up in Sri Lanka in 1956, where Clarke settled for the rest of his life and while Clarke's writing career blossomed, Wilson started a series of companies into diving, marine salvage and even pearl fishing while also becoming an acclaimed photo-journalist.
He got into filming, making marine documentaries before helming Ranmuthu Duwa, the first colour Sri Lankan film and a huge commercial hit.
Why remember him today? Well, when Satyajit Ray met Arthur C Clarke while wanting to make The Alien, Clarke put him on to Wilson. Wilson and Ray met in Calcutta, and Ray wrote a first draft screenplay. Wilson then set up a meeting with Peter Sellers in Paris, and then with Columbia Pictures in Hollywood. By then Ray was already suspicious of Wilson as Wilson had copyrighted the script in both names without him contributing a world. After years of discussion, the project floundered and then died when Peter Sellers announced his withdrawal.
Wilson in the meantime also discovered Hinduism after viewing the Swayambhuva Lingam at the Konesar Temple in Trincomalee and renounced the material world, taking the name Swami Siva Kalki.
He spent the last decades of his life trying to combine spirituality with science, trying to develop a Unified Field Theory, while also assisting on scripts as strange as one about a psychic elephant, which finally came out as Rampage, the first English film financed and shot in Sri Lanka. He died in 1995
On Ray's birthday, what better than to find the strangest back story behind the man who ended up ruining Ray's most ambitious project.
Sidhu Jetha would have approved.

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@airvistara please return my missing bag. I don't want my first and last experience with you too be this miserable. 😔

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

Throughout history, powerful leaders, including dictators, have often been seen with their beloved pets. Some truly adored these animals, while others used them for propaganda, the most legendary being Fidel Castro and his super cow. A thread.

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

Raise your hand if you were captivated by the iconic character of Bahadur during your school days! But here's the thing: this superhero was way ahead of his time. Through Bahadur, the creator envisioned a new India—a hero we truly deserve.

1/20

[Arun S @skrappyscience]

Meet your @Paperclip_In podcast - #LongStoryShort season 1 Production team.

We value your feedback. Let us know your impressions by tagging us or by posting comments.

That’s the best tonic we can have.

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

Listen in, feel the magic!

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

Season 1 is live now. Exclusively on @Audibl_ind
https://t.co/m41WkgVYu7

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary
No, I didn't join X 15 years ago, I may have joined T. But I did join Y! 14 years ago and worked with some real awesome people.

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

With the recent India-Canada rift, the haunting shadow of the Komagata Maru and Canada's once racist immigration laws looms large. Yet, from that history, one Canadian hero has been forgotten – a lone warrior who battled white supremacists on behalf of 376 Indians. 1/20

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

The Cat dances while Turia Sings. @MuniraFatima_'s story on @Paperclip_In takes you to a spiritual plane.
https://t.co/SX9aPzgVjN

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@CuriousKits @archeohistories Very wild, wild west vibes, no?

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

Of masks and making a point, of concealment and freedom, of intrigue and valour. All the makings of a fascinating read in this @Paperclip_In thread.

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

If you've watched Jawan, did you notice that intriguing mask that hid half of @iamsrk's face? Ever pondered on how masks bridge social gaps?
And what does Argentine superstar Javier Mascherano have to do with this? Let's take you to Venice to find the answers. 1/16

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@CuriousKits Different Strokes on Sundays
Star Trek on Thursdays
Chitrahar
Humlog

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@satishacharya you are the best!

[Satish Acharya @satishacharya]

The roadSHOW must go on... #martyrs

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

Hexing Haddock, the Bashi Bazouks and a fascinating connection. @Paperclip_In delves deeper for more dope!

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

Records from the 1857 War of Independence mention a notorious English soldier bearing a rather odd nickname - 'Bashi.' Where have we heard that name before? Think Tintin. Think Captain Haddock's curses. What if we told you it's also linked to Ottoman warriors?Let us explain.1/20

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

While the @iamsrk frenzy has gripped the whole country, we are hung up on a strange connection between the superstar and a group of people who helped shape the world of art for modern India. It included a man who had escaped Nazi-occupied Austria. Here's the story. 1/22

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@indranath The way to a man's heart and all that after all...no.sorry, a person's heart...we.must ne gender neutral and all that too.

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

@SoulVersified Love the jewellery!

[Priyadarshini @chattypriya]

Jhinchak start to the weekend! Tap to the beats of @Paperclip_In :)

[The Paperclip @Paperclip_In]

In the Netflix web series Guns and Gulaabs, we see the character of Arjun Varma playing the cassette of Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai while driving to Gulaabganj. He immediately discards the cassette as it had Jhankar Beats. What were these beats? Let’s go back in time. 1/12